Technology

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) said Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service needs adapt to 21st century technologies in the same way it did when Americans started moving by rail.

“We now have the ability to communicate with each other without sitting down with pen and paper, just as we had the ability to transfer information and knowledge by means of the railroad rather than the pony express,” McCain said.

Read more...

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced on Friday that the House will vote on four bills next week to improve the nation's defenses against cyber attacks.

But left off the list was the Homeland Security Committee's Precise Act, which the panel approved on Wednesday. Bill author Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) scaled back the legislation in a last-minute attempt to win the support of GOP House leaders, who had made it clear that they wouldn't support any bill that would create new regulations for cybersecurity.

Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), who chairs the Homeland Security Committee and supports the Precise Act, said the measure could still come up for a vote next week.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) on Wednesday called on Attorney General Eric Holder to answer his questions from February on the state of Department of Justice (DOJ) efforts to crack down on human trafficking, including websites that offer adult services, which he said are magnets for these illegal activities.

In a letter he sent to Holder on Wednesday, Wolf said Congress approved language last year that calls on the DOJ to set up a human trafficking task force. But when Wolf asked Holder in February for an update on this task force, Holder said he had not yet sent a directive to begin this work. Since then, Holder has not replied, and Wolf demanded an answer before the end of April.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday demanding that it ban cellphone companies from charging costumers for "cramming," the practice of sending text messages offering services, such as sports scores or horoscopes, that result in unauthorized fees on monthly bills.

Schumer wants to stop cellphone companies from charging costumers for third-party fees unless direct consent has been given.

The House on Tuesday evening passed a bill that would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do more study and require more public input before releasing regulations, and weaken the FCC's ability to dictate the terms of mergers between communications mergers.

The House voted 247-174 in favor of H.R. 3309, the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform act. It was passed over the objection of all Democrats save 12 — Democrats spent much of the day arguing that the bill was a GOP attempt to shut down the agency.

The House on Tuesday afternoon approved a rule allowing members to debate and consider amendments to H.R. 3309, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Process Reform Act.

Members approved the rule in a 242-177 vote, and later in the afternoon were expected to start general debate on the bill and up to 10 amendments that could get a vote.

House Republicans next week plan to move legislation that would slow the ability of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to release regulations affecting the communications industry, mostly by requiring the agency to study the market more carefully and giving the industry more time to react to and comment on new rules.

The Federal Communications Process Reform act, H.R. 3309, was approved by the House Energy & Commerce Committee earlier this month and is seen by Republicans as a way to ensure that the communications industry continues to grow with as few hurdles as possible from federal regulators.

Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) on Monday introduced a bill that would require most video games to bear a warning label that says, "WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior."

The Violence in Video Games Labeling Act, H.R. 4204, is a reaction to what the two members say is increasing evidence that playing violent games can have a serious, long-lasting impact on children, which should require a health warning to consumers.

The chairman and ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee have proposed legislation that would give astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs clear ownership of any artifacts they might have retained from the missions.

The bill is a reaction to plans at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to collect various items from space flight missions that astronauts had previously been allowed to keep.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on Monday proposed legislation aimed at encouraging private companies to share information with the government on the cyber threats they face.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing act, S. 2101, would protect companies from the liability they could face for sharing information.